When one ring threatened to destroy the realm, only one creature could be trusted to venture into the unknown and return it to the fiery depths of Mount Doom—a geocacher. Or at least, that’s how this version of the story goes. Create your fellowship and follow the hobbit footprints to this week’s Geocache of the Week: Helms Klamm (GC2WGRR).

Unlike the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this adventure takes place in Germany, not Middle Earth. And unlike Mordor, one can simply walk to this difficulty 1, terrain 2 geocache. The geocache creator, Caturus, modified the famous J.R.R. Tolkien storyline to fit in with a geocaching adventure. As you make your way to ground zero, feel free to take on the roles of Frodo, Sam, Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Boromir, or my personal favorite, Gandalf. While many geocaches are all about the journey, this geocache truly shines at the destination.

When you arrive at this geocache, don’t expect another ammo can or bison tube. You’ll be at the doorstep to a castle, complete with characters from the Lord of the Rings story (watch out for Gollum!). The castle has been found over 2,300 times and geocachers have awarded this creative geocache over 900 favorite points. The positive logs continue to roll in; geocacher Schatzfinder said, (translated from German) “Far and wide no orcs, no Nazgul or Ringwraiths. The fortress is obviously protected by magical powers that defy the dark forces of wild boars, mice and other animals. Well worth seeing!”

Geocacher Mario112 said, (translated from German) “WOW. This is something you won’t find every day. Due to all of the favorite points, we already expected something extraordinary. Our expectations were surpassed when we caught sight of Helm’s Klamm after a march through the wintry woods. Thank you for this well-designed cache, this is of course a favorite point!”

Seeing great geocache containers with amazing stories always leaves me inspired to create a spectacular geocache. What about you? If your next, or first, geocache hide will have a theme or story, what will it be? Tell us in the comments.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@geocaching.com.

The month of May is the most popular time of year for climbing the tallest mountain on Earth, Mt. Everest. While there is an Earthcache at the very top, most of us won’t have the time or money (guide services can cost thousands) to make the summit. In fact, many of us (me included), will have to just visit this amazing place through photographs and videos. However, for those who do make it to Tibet, a stop to find this week’s Geocache of the Week, Roof of the World (GC9A9E), is a must.

While this geocache is rated 4 for difficulty and 2 for terrain, some might think it deserves a few more stars. The geocache description says that the 4 stars for difficulty is just for getting into Tibet. With strict controls on tourism by the Chinese government, geocachers outside of the area may have to jump through a few hoops to even have the opportunity to access the geocache. And while the physical terrain is right in line with a 2-star rating, don’t forget—the altitude is around 16,700 ft (5100m). If you aren’t acclimated to the thinner air, even a leisurely stroll can seem like a strenuous hike.

Despite the difficulty of entering Tibet and the thin mountain air, an exclusive club of about 40 geocachers have made the journey, earned their smiley and left great logs that inspire the rest of us to reach our geocaching “peak”. “This cache is for sure amongst the more difficult ones to reach (permits, roads, coldness and over all the altitude sickness, which not a few people have up here) and therefore there is a little adventure in every find…To see the Everest was on my list since I was a child and we came on a perfect day with no one else in the base camp except us. The weather was bitterly cold, but due to only little wind and the strong sun we were able to stay there more than two hours to enjoy. The searching for the cache was something new for our guide and he was filled with enthusiasm, maybe he will be the owner of some of the first caches in Lhasa? :)” said geocacher Saurons_Bass.

This geocache has even helped with a bit of high-altitude romance: “Wow, what a stunning view! Thank you very much for placing this wonderful cache. It provided a much needed rest in this high altitude walk and gave me (Frank) the opportunity to make last preparations for my marriage proposal to Vanessa. SHE SAID YES!!!!” said geocachers Frank&Vanessa.

Mountain summits make for some of the most scenic and beautiful geocache sites. What is the highest altitude you’ve earned a smiley at? Tell us your story in the comments.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@geocaching.com.

Geocachers wear many hats—explorer, adventurer, stealth agent, pirate, and climber, just to name just a few. Sometimes, like in the case of this week’s Geocache of the Week, the hat geocachers wear is actually the geocache itself. To earn your smiley for Head Case (GC2TD8M), located near Denver, Colorado, USA, you’ll have to make sure your head is in the game.

The hunt for this difficulty 2, terrain 1.5 geocache starts with a clever story told by the geocache creator Ecylram. The Head Case began as a micro container. However, due to mysterious circumstances and nearby military testing, the original container mutated into what it is now. Geocachers are tasked with ensuring that the Head Case remains locked in its container, making sure that no further mutation has occurred and signing the correct log (which is easier said than done).

When asked about what inspired this geocache, Ecylram said, “I wanted to place a geocache that offered an interactive experience for the geocacher that was unique. I took the “find the log” idea and twisted it by having a log for each day of the month. The cacher is required to sign the log that corresponds to the find date.” He went on to add, “I then wanted to add humor to the find so I decided to attach the log containers to a wearable hard hat.  I then built a large wooden container to protect the hard hat from the elements and to provide a place for swag and trackables. I then started work on writing a story for the cache description that tied together the unique cache and the location. Once I decided to go with a mutant cache theme the story wrote itself.”

Since the geocache was placed, over 200 geocachers have earned their smileys and awarded the geocache over 140 Favorite Points. However, the best part is looking through all of the amazing photos posted in the Found It logs. Geocacher Chihuahuahs-3 (C3) wrote, “We were in the area today checking on one of our nearby caches and decided to stop by this one to show our grandchildren what a cool cache this is. The two of them had a ball getting in to the cache then finding the log!!! Our grandson was the lucky winner. He also could not resist putting it on his head! Does it tingle!?!?!? Thanks so very much for adding a very special element to our wonderful Easter weekend with our grandchildren”

And the geocache creator loves reading the logs as well, “I’ve absolutely loved the response. Most cachers seem to really enjoy the experience and have written some wonderful logs. I wish I could thank each one in person for their thoughtful logs and favorite points… Also, look for my next cache “Tin Man” to be released in the end of June. It will be a 6 1/2 foot-tall ‘robot’ made out of 14 ammo cans. It will be very memorable.”

The hat you have to wear is obvious with this geocache, what other “hats” have you had to wear while geocaching? Tree climber? Scuba diver? Super Hero?  Tell us in the comments.

Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.

If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@geocaching.com.